Pages

February 13, 2013

No 'Poo Days 7-12

Read about the first six days and why I made the switch here.Day 7- Today officially marks a week of not using shampoo and conditioner, and today my hair feels and looks it's cleanest and softest yet. Today I added more baking soda to my mixture and washed twice with it and rinsed twice with the vinegar mixture (I had a snow day, so I was able to take a nice long shower). I'm not sure if that's what made the difference, or if my hair is just beginning to adjust.

Day 8-11- I'm grouping all of these days together because a) I wasn't diligent about writing those days and b) all four of those days were about the same. It think my hair is almost through the adjustment phase. When I let it dry naturally and wear it curly, it does not look greasy at all. It has generally been soft and the curls bouncy. I've been combing it out at night which ruins the curls (they are ruined when I sleep anyway, so who cares?), but I read somewhere that this important in order to help the natural oils protect your hair and to literally comb out some of the day's "dirt." After I comb it out, I can run my fingers through it with no fear of creating frizzy curls and can see that it feels clean, and looks, in my opinion, less greasy than it normally used to at the end of the day.

Day 11-- another lousy picture, but you get the idea.It's clean and curly.

Steve did notice a bit of a vinegar smell in my hair the other night. I'm thinking about fighting that in a few different ways. I might try putting a drop of essential oil in the vinegar mixture, and I plan to switch to apple cider vinegar which is what most no 'poo-ers use. I was out and just haven't bought more yet. I'm not sure if that will make a difference, but I'm hoping it will.

Day 12- I used only the baking soda wash today and I was completely happy with the cleanliness of my hair. I plan to try to straighten it on Friday.

I also wanted to mention that the biggest difference I've seen is the lack of dandruff. I have major problems with dandruff. I mean (and you won't believe how embarrassing this is for me to actually type out) I get chunks of flaking scalp that sometimes scab. This is actually another wonderfulsymptom of the PCOS. That and hair loss. Yippee! (I watched some old home movies with my family the other day and my hair when I was sixteen was twice as thick as it is now). Anyway, the point is, the dandruff issues are little to none now. This alone is enough to convince me to keep going with the no 'poo.

How about you? Has anybody else tried this? Am I tempting you to make the switch or totally turning you off toward it?

2 comments:

Yay! I'm glad this week is going better for you! I will admit, after reading your honest experiences last week, I was thinking "oh boy, I better not try this!" I'm also intrigued by the fact that your scalp issues are so much better. I have major scalp issues, too, and I literally have to use T/Sal Scalp Buildup Control shampoo every other day to keep it at bay. My question would be - is this no 'poo thing only for people with curly hair? My hair is wavy, and can get a bit curly when it's humid, but if I were to try this, I would definitely intend to blow-dry and straighten my hair a lot. Would it still work do you think?

Hey Kristen,It is DEFINITELY not just for curly hair. The it is especially beneficial, I think, for curly hair because you no longer have the negative affects of sulfates and silicone (two ingredients that do damage to curls), but it would be a good change for anyone. I've been reading about a lot of men who have made the change too. By the way, my dandruff is still nearly non existent.